DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PERMANENT MAKEUP, MICROPIGMENTATION AND MICROBLADING IN SINGAPORE

With so many trends in the cosmetic industry, it’s hard to keep up with all the names of different products and procedures. We’re here to clear up one of the hottest trends in the industry in Singapore, which is permanent makeup, semi-permanent makeup, aka micropigmentation, aka microblading.

Semi-Permanent Makeup (microblading and micropigmentation) vs. Permanent Makeup

With all the similar-sounding terms, navigating your way through these procedures may get somewhat confusing. We’re here to clear things up, starting with the difference between semi-permanent and permanent makeup.

When the process of applying pigments into the skin for cosmetic purposes was in its infancy, the process was called permanent makeup, due to the fact that it lasted a lot longer, was more pronounced, and was more similar to traditional permanent tattooing. For permanent makeup, the pigments were embedded 1mm into the skin or the dermis layer, which could last up to 5 years before it starts fading, and made use of pigments that contained carbon, that in time oxidizes and changes color, giving undesirable shades of blue, grey, and sometimes red as they age.

Now, due to the demands of the market, new technology and techniques have been developed to address these issues, thus resulting in what we now call “semi-permanent makeup.” As the change in name suggests, semi-permanent makeup does not last as long as permanent makeup. Semi-permanent makeup lasts around 1 – 2 years but does fade within that time period, in which case clients may opt to have them “retouched” after a year of application. Clients normally prefer this as they can customize the color over time. The pigment is also embedded on the “epidermis,” only reaching a depth of 0.08mm to 0.15mm into the skin.

Semi-permanent makeup also makes use of specialized pigments that are free of carbon, and fades but does not change color. The pigments produced for semi-permanent makeup also give a more natural tone, as compared to the pigments used in permanent makeup that had a solid, defined finish.

Both micropigmentation and microblading are examples of semi-permanent makeup, however, there are differences in the style and technique of the two procedures.

Eyebrow Micropigmentation vs. Microblading

Putting on makeup, especially for your eyebrows is one of the most time consuming, but necessary tasks. No one wants to go out without eyebrows. The good thing is, with eyebrow micropigmentation and microblading, you can now have your eyebrows “on-fleek” without spending as much time and effort. But what’s the difference between eyebrow micropigmentation and microblading?

Microblading and micro-pigmentation are both examples of semi-permanent makeup, however, they do differ in style and technique. Microblading makes use of a super-fine bladed pen, to create very fine cuts on the epidermal layer of the skin, that create natural-looking hair-like strokes. Eyebrow micropigmentation, on the other hand, makes use of a specialized device with fine micro-needles, to create more of a shading effect.

Microblading is for creating the natural hyper-realistic look, making hair strokes that look like the real thing. However, eyebrow micropigmentation has a wider array of applications such as, ombre brows that give the eyebrows a gradient of shading, from a darker to a lighter region, and powder brows that fills up certain parts of the eyebrows, making them look more darker and fuller.

Though the two techniques are somewhat different, you can opt for a combination of the 2, called hybrid brows, which combines microblading and micropigmentation to give the client an overall fuller but natural-looking eyebrows.

Micropigmentation in Singapore

Whether you plan to undergo micropigmentation for paramedical or cosmetic reasons, it’s important to find a Permanent Makeup Artist (PMU) that makes use of good quality pigments, that are free of heavy metals and other impurities. Pigments that contained heavy metals such as iron oxide, which led to unwanted tones of pink, green and blue due to chemical reactions with the skin.

The good thing is that Swiss Color is available in Singapore. Swiss Color is a Switzerland based company that produces specialized pigments for micropigmentation, that not only provides a wide array of pigments for specific procedures, but also has been proven to be completely free of heavy metals and harmful chemicals. Swiss Color products lay on the foundation of years of research and clinical trials, proven to be safe and reliable.